Heat dominated by Bucks in Love’s debut, loses third in row. Details and takeaways

Erik Spoelstra wasted no time inserting new Heat forward Kevin Love in his starting lineup, hoping to spark a group that sits uncomfortably in the seventh seed in the East, a place that no team that fashions itself a contender wants to be.

Love, playing for the first time since a Jan. 24 appearance for Cleveland, didn’t take a shot in his first 11 minutes on the floor, but that wasn’t the big issue Friday. The glaring problem was uncharacteristically porous Heat defense and sizzling Bucks shooting, including a torrent of three pointers, combined with typically errant Heat three-point shooting.

Milwaukee opened 10 for 19 on threes, built a 19-point first half lead, and drubbed the Heat, 128-99, on Friday night at Fiserv Forum. This was the Bucks’ 13th consecutive win overall and their most lopsided victory of the season.

Most disappointing, from Miami’s perspective, was the Heat’s failure to capitalize when Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo left with a knee injury after playing just six minutes.

After a nine-day break, the Heat trailed by as many as 35, lost its third game in a row, dropped to 32-28 and continued its season-long struggles from three-point range, missing 20 of its first 24. Milwaukee hit 19 threes to Miami’s nine.

The Bucks led by six when Antetokounmpo (four points, four rebounds, four assists) left the game for good midway through the first quarter and by 15 when he was ruled out for the night midway through the second quarter after banging knees with a Heat player.

But Miami never drew anywhere close to single digits in the second half. At one point, Milwaukee was shooting 24 for 40 from the field (60 percent).

“They have the second ranked defense; we have the fifth ranked defense,” Spoelstra said. “Their defense showed up, ours did not.”

Even with Jimmy Butler scoring 19 and Bam Adebayo 14 in the first half alone, Miami still trailed 73-56 at halftime. Butler closed with 23 points (8 for 10 shooting) in 21 minutes, with Spoelstra removing him for good late in the third quarter on the first night of a back to back set.

Adebayo had 18 points, Caleb Martin added 17 and Tyler Herro had 14.

Love’s impact in his first game was limited largely to rebounding (eight boards), screen setting and some nice passes (four assists, no turnovers). He didn’t take his first shot until a missed three late in the second quarter and closed 0 for 4, all three point attempts. He finished scoreless, on 0 for 4 shooting, in 22 minutes, with a block and a steal.

The “offense didn’t help after the first quarter,” Spoelstra said of his team in general. “We settled for some tough shots, missed open guys at times. They have a very good defense, so they can do that to you. The game was so disjointed. I like the start we got off to offensively; that’s something we can build on. That was the only decent stretch we had, first seven minutes.”

But even after those seven minutes, the Heat trailed by three.

Milwaukee got 24 points from Jrue Holiday and 18 from Bobby Portis. The teams split their four-game season series, with Miami winning the two games that Antekounmpo missed, both in Miami in mid-January.

The Heat continues this three-game road tip on Saturday in Charlotte (7 p.m., Bally Sports Sun).

Five takeaways from Friday:

▪ Love, trying to blend in during his Heat debut, was a reluctant shooter early on.

He didn’t even attempt a shot until the Heat trailed 71-54.

With Love replacing Caleb Martin with the first group, the Heat’s starting lineup was outscored 23-16 to start the first half and 19-13 to start the second half.

There were some positives to build on with Love: A good screen freed up Herro for a driving jumper that drew a foul to begin the game. His rebounding will be an asset.

“Obviously it felt good to be back after a month,” Love said. “Rhythm, getting my wind back and how the game played out was pretty ugly.”

Love opened defending 7-footer Brook Lopez, who scored nine in the first half and 17 for the game.

Spoelstra didn’t explain the decision to start Love, but Love said: “They wanted some of that spacing I bring, especially, at the four position, be able to help Bam on the outside, guard Lopez. Get out and show on the defensive end. I think they wanted to look at more size in there.”

This was just Love’s eighth start in the past 1 1/2 seasons; he started three games for Cleveland earlier this year but had been out of the team’s rotation since Jan. 24 before his buyout earlier this week.

After playing nine first quarter minutes, Love didn’t return until 4:50 remained in the second quarter. His night ended late in the third quarter, with the Bucks comfortably ahead.

▪ With Love starting and center Cody Zeller joining the team, the Heat’s bench rotation had a different look.

Zeller - who, like Love, had only one Heat practice after signing this week - was Spoelstra’s first sub. He replaced Adebayo with 6:02 left in the first quarter and hit two quick baskets from close range in his first NBA appearance of the season.

Zeller played many of his minutes alongside Love. Spoelstra did not pair Zeller and Adebayo; neither is a three-point threat, so spacing would be an issue with that duo.

Beyond Zeller, Spoelstra used Victor Oladipo, Max Strus, Martin and then Duncan Robinson off the Heat bench in the first half.

Spoelstra used a lineup of Adebayo, Oladipo, Strus, Martin and Robinson for a six-minute stretch late in the first quarter and early in the second, but that group saw the Bucks stretch their lead from 10 to 15 while on the floor together.

Martin, who had started his previous 49 Heat appearances this season, returned to the bench, a role in which he thrived last season. He played 26 minutes, finishing with 17 points and 5 rebounds.

Martin said he had no issue with coming off the bench. “It’s my job to adjust,” he said. “No problem.”

Zeller had 10 points (4 for 5 shooting) and four rebounds in 16 minutes and also was effective setting screens.

“Coach has been really clear [about roles],” Zeller said. “He knew that I was gong to come in and play kind of in short spurts until I get my legs back underneath me.... I felt good individually. Not the result you want as a team.”

▪ The Heat’s wings had a tough shooting night, and the Heat’s poor three-point shooting continued.

While Milwaukee shot 10 for 21 on threes in the first half, the Heat’s wings struggled to make shots.

Strus and Oladipo both shot 1 for 7 from the field, while Robinson and Gabe Vincent were both 1 for 6.

The Heat entered as the league’s third-worst three point shooting team. Miami was 4 for 24 on threes at one point, a dismal 16.7 percent and finished 9 for 40 on threes (22.5 percent).

▪ The Heat lost ground in the playoff race.

The Knicks, who won at Washington, remained in sixth and moved 1 ½ games ahead of the Heat. No. 8 Atlanta, in its first game since dumping coach Nate McMillan, beat Cleveland to move two games back of the No. 7 Heat.

For the uninitiated, the seventh through 10th seeds must play their way into the playoffs through a play-in round that determines the final two playoff teams in each conference.

▪ Two former Heat players made their first appearance for Milwaukee and also played their first game all season.

Jae Crowder, acquired from Phoenix before the trade deadline, had nine points and three rebounds in his Bucks debut.

Crowder - who didn’t report to the Suns this season because of unhappiness about his role - said before the game that he included the Heat among the teams that he would have liked to be traded to.

But according to a source, Miami had no available assets that Phoenix wanted.

“I’m a big fan of Jae,” Spoelstra said. “I wish he would have stayed out West somewhat. He knows how to fit in, how to fill a role, how to play off of great players.”

Meanwhile, center Meyers Leonard began a 10-day contract with the Bucks, marking his first time on an NBA roster since 2020-21, when he was traded by the Heat to Oklahoma City after using an anti-semitic slur while playing a video game that was live streamed. Leonard has said he didn’t know that the term was offensive to the Jewish community.

“I’m thrilled about Meyers,” Spoelstra said. “Meyers is a great human being. Excited he’s able to get back in the league. He’s been batting injuries the last couple years. He’s such a great team guy.”

Leonard entered after Antetokounmpo’s injury and closed with five points and six rebounds in 16 minutes.